Denon AVR-891 (1 Viewer)

[Mike:W]

Hey guys,


It's time for me to start planning a new HT setup, and the first thing I'm looking to do is replace my receiver. I have a 6 year old Onkyo HTiB, which came with a fantastic receiver (at the time), but it's non-HDMI and it can't convert between inputs, so it's definitely time to move on.


I've had my eye on the Denon AVR-891 for a couple weeks. Most places have had it for around $799, but I saw it advertised on thenerds.net for $599. This seems like a crazy price for a product that just came out, but they confirmed that it's correct.


http://www.thenerds.net/DENON.Denon_AVR_891_71_Channel_Home_Theater_Receiver.AVR891.html


Do you guys think this is a good deal? Do you guys know anything about thenerds.net? I've never used them.


I'm basically looking for:

• 7.1 (probably only use 5.1 but it's nice to have the option)
• At least 3 HDMI 1.4a in
• At least 1 Component in
• At least 2 Composite in
• Component/Composite HDMI conversion

The AVR-791 would probably be good enough for me because I don't have a ton of devices (basically just cable box, PS3, and Wii), but most places have them for $499, only $100 less than what thenerds.net has the 891 for!


Is there anything from Onkyo or Pioneer I should be looking at as well?

 

[gene c]

The Onkyo 707 (can be found at times for $499) and the Pioneer 1120 or Elite 21 txh.


Also the Yamaha 667 and H/K 2600 but it may be more than you want to spend.


And do you really need the 891 or are you just ga-ga over the price . HDMI goes straight to the display).

 

[Mike:W]

I do love my Onkyo and it would be nice to have that familiarity, but I admit that I was 'ga-ga' over the $599 price of the AVR-891.


You may have just opened my eyes, though, because the Onkyo 707 is $479.99 on amazon right now. I don't know much about it as I've spent most of my time researching Denon's line. Is there a substantial difference? Does Onkyo have something similar to Denon's MultEQ setup?


My main reason for wanting the 891 over the 791 is because with only a $100 difference, it has a lot more inputs. Admittedly, I don't need that many at the moment, but that may prove more future proof. Plus, the little extra wattage couldn't hurt.


Thanks for the advice. You may have just totally swayed my decision.

 

[Mike:W]

It does concern me that the Onkyo TX-SR707 isn't HDMI 1.4a. I've demoed 3DTV at Best Buy and was fairly impressed. Impressed enough to jump on the 3D bandwagon in the next few years, I'm not sure, but it's nice to have the option.


Thoughts?

 

[gene c]

"Does Onkyo have something similar to Denon's MultEQ setup?"


The 707 and higher have the same MultiEQ as Denon. Lesser Onkyo models only have Audyssey 2EQ.


The new 708 also has HDMI 1.4 (7 of them!) but it's a new model so the price is much higher, $799. That's why the 707 is so in-expensive right now, it's last years model.


I really don't know much about 3D. None of my equipment is compatible so I've tried to avoid it. My two RPTV's are still going strong and the thought of replacing one right now makes my wallet cry for help! But I always hook my video sources straight to the displays so a non-3D receiver wouldn't be an issue for me.


I guess $599 is a great price for the 891, even if you don't need it . My only concern is TheNerds isn't an authorised dealer so Denon my refuse to honor the warranty should something go wrong. But life is full of gambles. So, "Do you feel lucky, punk!" If so, the 891 for $599 is pretty good. These decisions shouldn't be this hard, but they are.

 

[Mike:W]

How important is the difference between MultEQ and 2EQ? Because upon further looking, the Onkyo 608 would be a perfect fit for me.


I'm too am concerned about TheNerds. Looking through the reviews of them on places like resellerratings.com a lot of people have bad things to say about them. That's a good point about Denon not honoring the warranty through them. That would suck.


You're right, at first glance, this decision should be easy. It's just one simple piece of hardware. But there are so many damn choices and compromises. I haven't even gotten into looking at speakers yet!


Speaking of which, I've been leaning toward Paradigm Studio 60's. Any thoughts on them?


I've dreamed of owning a set of Paradigms for well over 10 years now. If I can scrounge the cash, they're my first choice. I'm also looking at the KEF iQ line, which would come in at a thousand or so less, I think.

 

[gene c]

MultiEQ use up to 6 mic locations to smooth out the sound from the whole listening area rather than just the "sweet" spot, in theory anyway. It also uses a 7 band EQ vs a 5 band for the 2EQ. From what I've read over the years MultiEQ is well worth the price difference. I've only used it with an Onkyo 805 I had for a while and I must say, I was impressed. And my brother has a Denon 1610 and MultiEQ made his entry level Boston speakers sound much better then they should.


I've bought from TheNerds before without issue, it's just the warranty thing that bothers me.


You can't go wrong with Paradigm. I haven't heard them in a proper environment but I've never read/heard a bad thing about them. It's just personal preference whether you like the way they sound or not.


KEF seems to be a lot like Klipsch. People either love them or....


Wonder around the Speaker Forum for more speaker options, including some you may have never heard of.


If you think buying a receiver is driving you nuts here's an entertaining thread from a few months ago. HowToBuySpeakers/DaveF The price might be out of your range but the road he traveled might be similar to yours.

 

[Mike:W]

Man, so many choices!


The Denon AVR-791 would be a good choice if it didn't skimp so much on inputs because it has HDMI 1.4a and MultEQ. But it would be a tough choice with only one Component in. It seems like what one receiver provideth, the other option taketh away.


As far as speakers are concerned, I've started looking a little bit at SVS because everyone says how amazing their subs are. They've got some nice looking speakers, as well, and complete 5.0 packages for under $2,000. Pretty impressive. Do you know much about them?

 

[gene c]

"It seems like what one receiver provideth, the other option taketh away."


Ya, there is no perfect receiver. It's all about compromises.


There are external HDMI switches should you need more in the future.


"They've (SVS) got some nice looking speakers, as well, and complete 5.0 packages for under $2,000. Pretty impressive. Do you know much about them?"


I had a pair of their original bookshelves for a couple of weeks (borrowed from a co-worker) and they were pretty nice. Kinda plain looking but they put their money where it counted. I also had their small (for SVS ) 10" sub a couple of years ago but it was way too much for what I could use without scaring the neighbors.


BTW, the speakers and sub don't need to be from the same company. You could get an SVS sub, or ElementalDesigns - HSU - or something from PartsExpress, and get your speakers elswhere like Axiom, Aperion, AscendAcoustics, SaturdayAudio/PBS, or on the cheap, Polk/Monitor. My personal favorite is the Infinity Beta series which is now disconntinued and somewhat hard to find new unless you're willing to go the ebay route, and the slightly lesser Primus series is also pretty good, to me, anyway. The Swan/Diva's. Are in my livingroom. Again, so many choices.

 

[Mike:W]

I just finished reading DaveF's epic saga. Didn't realize that SVS was spawned from members of this very community, let alone based in Ohio (I live in Dayton, just a few hours from Y-town). I'll have to keep my eyes open for dealers around here.


Yeah, I realize there's no need to match up the sub with the rest of the set, but I am truly interested now in what SVS has to offer. Is there a huge quality dropoff from the MTS series to the S series like there is from the Paradigm Studios to the Monitors?


That $1,300 price on a complete 5.0 S-Series set is very..compelling.

 

[gene c]

I don't think SVS has dealers but if if you give them a ring (tell them DaveF from the HTF sent ya' ) I bet they could work out an audition for you.

 

[Mike:W]

Ah, yes, I forgot SVS is internet-only. I should call and mention Dave. If this keeps up, they'll make DaveF a VP.


I went into Morris Home Furnishings last night and listened to a 7.1 Paradigm Studio setup with Studio 40 v4s as the mains, and I listened to Studio 60s by themselves with music. Pretty nice. I had the rep switch between the 60's and the enormous pair of Pioneer Elites towering next to them that were marked down to 'only' $7,000/pair. I thought the Studio 60's were much better. While the Elites certainly projected better, they were very bright.


I also wasn't aware the Studio 40's have exactly the same number and type of drivers as the 60's. Only difference is one's a bookshelf, the other's a tower. At least that's what the rep said.


Gonna have to do some more auditioning in the next couple weeks.

 

[David Willow]

FWIW, the Onkyo has MultEQ while the Denon has MultEQ XT. There's a significant difference in the filters for the satellites with XT. Onkyo stopped shipping XT with there mid range receivers after the x05 models.



http://www.audyssey.com/technology/multeq.html

Features MultEQ XT MultEQ 2EQ EQ Filter resolution (satellites) 16x 2x x x Filter resolution (subwoofer) 128x 128x N/A N/A Number of Measurement Positions 8 (Up to 32 with
MultEQ Pro) 6 3 preset Adaptive Low Frequency Correction Yes Yes N/A N/A Crossover, Polarity, Delays, Levels Yes Yes Yes preset

 

[Mike:W]

Hmm. Actually, it looks like only the Denon AVR-3311CI and up have MultEQ XT. The rest only have MultEQ. At least that's how it looks to me. Denon's specs are very inconsistent. In some places, it says MultEQ, and others specify MultEQ XT.